Cultural tourism in the context of intercultural communication: A sample of Ahlat district

Tourism is one of the sectors in which countries actively play a role and make investments on it, and in return enter into socio-economic expectations. In this regard, Ahlat district, which has an important place in the cultural heritage of our country, takes its place as a tourist destination with a culturally rich, effective and effective tourism potential. In addition, Ahlat district has an important potential in exemplifying cultural tourism, as it contains many historical buildings belonging to the periods of the Urartians, Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire on its borders. In the study, the approaches of tourists to Ahlat district and simultaneously the views of the relevant local government organizations, residents and touristic enterprises operating in the region on cultural tourism were investigated. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with agencies organizing cultural tours to Ahlat, bureaucrats in the region and the people living in the region. In line with the interviews conducted and the data obtained from the literature review conducted to be a source for the study, the tourism potential of the region was examined and the SWOT analysis method was applied to reveal the steps towards the development of cultural tourism in the region. In order to increase the effectiveness of Ahlat in terms of cultural tourism, it is aimed to determine its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in line with its potential by using SWOT analysis. In this context, the findings of the study were supported by the TOWS matrix and the policies that the district should follow for the cultural tourism potential were determined. The research is important both in terms of revealing the cultural tourism potential of local tourists and the reasons why tourists who will come to Ahlat district with intercultural interaction prefer this region. As a result of the research, it has been determined that Ahlat district, which is one of the most popular historical and cultural locations of our country, has a deep-rooted and important potential in the context of cultural tourism. In addition, various steps have been identified that will allow the existing potential to be developed. These cultural tourism on behalf of the region's tourism products and advertising in the marketing mix of products to be converted to be made more effective, the country deviates from tourism, regional culture and activities to be included in Ahlat, the increase of cultural activities to attract more tourists to the region, the region also has various cultural events and organizations, which will be held in the region of tours to be included in the tour prices and convenient to make. In addition, due to the fact that it has hosted various cultures throughout history, the region, where intercultural communication is intense, and the introduction of Turkish culture holds an important place in history for understanding it. Ahlat primary tourist locations that are a part of our culture and the issues that affect currently existing tourism has the potential to be included in the list for cultural tourism with the participation of tourism stakeholders and bureaucrats identification of Ahlat and the region of Tourism Planning and implementation of policies which will be held in the name of the region according to this condition on behalf of the country as well as the determination of socio-economic policies and they will have made a significant contribution in terms of the set is passed to direct accurate and effective intercultural communication within the framework unless the application as he will contribute.